1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier collection device and a method therefor, and more particularly, to a carrier collection device and a method, for collecting a liquid carrier from a developer for use in a wet-type electrophotographic printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wet-type electrophotographic image forming apparatus (printer), including a printer, copier, facsimile machine, etc., a developer which is composed of a solid toner and a liquid carrier is adhered to an electrostatic latent image on a photo-conductor. If a high percentage of a liquid (carrier) is included in the adhered developer, the quality of the image output onto a paper, etc. is deteriorated. Hence, in the wet-type electrophotographic printer, the carrier needs to be collected from the developer adhered onto the photo-conductor.
A device for collecting the carrier is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publications Nos. H11-184344 and H11-327402.
Such a carrier collection device absorbs the carrier from the developer on the photo-conductor, with an absorption member, and heats the absorption member included inside a manifold. In this way, after a carrier vapor is generated by the heat inside the manifold, the carrier vapor is condensed by a condenser, so as to collect a liquid carrier. The manifold has an opening, so that the absorption member which is dried inside the manifold can absorb the carrier from the developer on the photo-conductor. In this structure, a problem arises in that the carrier vapor is scattered inside the carrier collection device from the opening.
To promote the efficiency with which the carrier is collected, it is necessary to enhance the efficiency with which the carrier is liquefied by the condenser, and to collect the carrier vapor flowing from the opening of the manifold.
In the case of the manifold included in the carrier collection device, which is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H11-184344, the carrier vapor vaporized from the absorption member can not be prevented from being scattered from the opening of the manifold inside the carrier collection device.
In the carrier collection device, which is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H11-327402, there is a member for filling the space between the manifold and the absorption member. However, in this carrier collection device, an area adjacent to the photo-conductor and the absorption member can not completely be filled up. Hence, in the carrier collection device disclosed in this publication, the carrier vapor which is vaporized from the absorption member can not be prevented from being scattered around inside the carrier collection device.
The problem thus is that an internal space of the carrier collection device is filled with the carrier vapor, which has not been collected yet, because the carrier vapor vaporized from the absorption member can not be collected. The carrier vapor scattered around inside the carrier collection device can not completely melts in the air, if the concentration of the carrier is high. If the room temperature is 10xc2x0 C., for example, the carrier is dew-condensed, when the concentration of the carrier inside the carrier collection device is approximately 260 ppm, and adhered to any plastic, rubber, electric parts inside the device. If the carrier includes a large amount of hydrocarbon solvent, the liquefied carrier causes the plastic, rubber, electric parts to be deteriorated.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a carrier collection device and a method for efficiently collecting a carrier.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carrier collection device for collecting a carrier from a developer, including a toner and the carrier, after being used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photo-conductor, the device comprising:
an absorption belt which is arranged adjacent to the photo-conductor, and rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the photo-conductor, so as to absorb the carrier;
a heat source which heats the absorption belt, and generates a carrier vapor from the absorption belt;
a vapor collection tube which surrounds the absorption belt and has a vent for the carrier vapor;
an absorption device which absorbs the carrier vapor from the vent of the vapor collection tube; and
a condenser which
is arranged between the vapor collection tube and the absorption device,
stores, in advance, a coolant carrier,
includes a foaming member for foaming a carrier included in the carrier vapor, on the coolant carrier,
receives the carrier vapor from the vapor collection tube,
condenses the received carrier vapor through the coolant carrier and the foaming member, and
stores the condensed carrier together with the coolant carrier.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carrier collection device for collecting a carrier from a developer, including a toner and the carrier, after being used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photo-conductor, the device comprising:
an absorption belt which is arranged adjacent to the photo-conductor, and absorbs the carrier by rotating in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the photo-conductor;
a heat source which heats the absorption belt and generates a carrier vapor;
a vapor collection tube which includes an opening in an area adjacent to the photo-conductor and the absorption belt, surrounds the absorption belt, and has a vent for the carrier vapor;
an absorption device which absorbs the carrier vapor from the vent of the vapor collection tube;
a condenser which receives the carrier vapor from the vent of the vapor collection tube, condenses the received carrier vapor, and collects the condensed carrier;
a duct one end of which partially or fully covers the opening of the vapor collection tube, and other end of which is connected to the condenser; and
a fan which is included in the duct, and collects the carrier vapor flowing from the opening of the vapor collection tube.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a carrier collection device for collecting a carrier from a developer, including a toner and the carrier, after being used for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on a photo-conductor, the device comprising:
an absorption belt which is arranged adjacent to the photo-conductor, and rotated in a direction opposite to a rotational direction of the photo-conductor, thereby to absorb the carrier;
a heat source which heats the absorption belt, and generates a carrier vapor;
a vapor collection tube which includes an opening in an area adjacent to the photo conductor and the absorption belt, surrounds the absorption belt, and includes a vent for the carrier vapor;
an absorption device which absorbs the carrier vapor from the vent of the vapor collection tube;
a condenser which receives the carrier vapor from the vent of the vapor collection tube, condenses the received carrier vapor, and collects the condensed carrier; and
a photo-conductor cover which is connected to the opening of the vapor collection tube, and partially or fully covers a surface of the photo-conductor from the opening.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for collecting a carrier from a developer, including a toner and the carrier (liquid), after being used for developing an electrostatic latent image on a photo-conductor, the method comprising:
absorbing the carrier from the photo-conductor onto an absorption belt;
heating and vaporizing the carrier absorbed onto the absorption belt with a heat source;
absorbing, with an absorption device, the carrier vapor vaporized in the heating, and conducting the absorbed carrier vapor to a condenser in which a coolant carrier is stored in advance;
cooling and condensing the carrier vapor, which is absorbed in the absorbing, in the coolant carrier stored in advance in the condenser, and storing the condensed carrier; and
foaming the carrier vapor, which has passed through the coolant carrier, using a foaming member arranged on the coolant carrier, condensing the foamed carrier by retaining the foamed carrier on the foaming member for a predetermined period of time, and storing the condensed carrier in the condenser.